Why did Dacoit Ek Prem Katha this week not take even an average opening? I ask this question because there was a famine of new releases after Dhurandhar: The Revenge, and hence it was expected that any star cast film would open to decent houses, such must be the hunger for a new film.

– In that sense, DACOIT EK PREM KATHA cannot be counted as a star cast film for the Hindi film-going audience because its hero, Adivi Sesh, does not have a loyal fan base among the Hindi film-going public so far.  

Which will be the next big thing on screen, after Dhurandhar: The Revenge?

– It just might be TOXIC: A FAIRY TALE FOR GROWN-UPS (dubbed). People may be shocked by its teaser, but let me tell you, that titillating teaser has done the trick and it will draw the public into the cinemas.

Does online trolling affect a star’s saleability?

– Not really, unless the trolling is for a long period of time. It also depends on the reason/s for which the star is being trolled online. 

So finally, what you mentioned in this column last week has turned out to be true. That is, Bhooth Bangla has been postponed by a week — to 17th April. Is it a good move on the part of the producers?

– Taking into account the phenomenal box-office collections of DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE in the second weekend, producers Ekta Kapoor and Akshay Kumar decided to postpone their BHOOTH BANGLA by a week. Their decision was right because the box-office collections on the weekdays were also extraordinary. Since collections of a blockbuster film take time to come down, it’s a given that DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE will hold strongly at the turnstiles in the third and fourth weeks too. Hence the decision to move the release ahead by a week — from 10th to 17th April — was perfect.  

Has there been such a lull in film releases in the past?

– Never have I seen such a lull in film releases in the last so many years. Except for DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE, which hit the screens on 19th March, there has been no major release right from 6th March. And there won’t be any major release till 17th April. Imagine, no major release, except one, for six weeks!

What did you think of the Ramayana trailer?

– It is outstanding! The trailer is working its magic on the public. 

What worked the most in favour of Dhurandhar: The Revenge? Was it the success of the first part, Dhurandhar? Or was it the content of the film?

– The runaway success of the first part worked in favour of the sequel by ensuring that it (sequel) took a historic start. After that, it is the brilliant content of the second part, which is working wonders for the film. If the content was weak, the film’s collections would’ve come crashing down after the unprecedented initial. But that did not happen! That’s proof that the content has worked big time!

Why are there no major films slated for release this week and on 3rd April?

– Obviously, because producers did not want to get their film for at least two-three weeks after DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE. They estimated the DHURANDHAR sequel to rule the box-office for at least three weeks and, therefore, steered clear of the Fridays till 10th April.

Is Bhooth Bangla scheduled for release on 10th April or will it shift ahead by a week?

– As of now, the release is on schedule — on 10th April — but a lot depends on the way DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE fares in the coming days. If collections continue to be super-strong in the days to come, the producers of BHOOTH BANGLA may feel inclined to postpone its release by a week, to 17th April. The reason they want to stick to the 10th April date is because of the Ambedkar Jayanti holiday on 14th April. 

Will the business of Dhurandhar: The Revenge surpass that of Dhurandhar? I ask this question because the music of the sequel is not as hit as of the first part.

– Going by the super-flying start which DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE has taken, it seems all set to surpass the business of the first part. The ticket rates for the sequel have been hiked — not just in the big cities but also in ‘B’ class centres. Incidentally, it is not a rule that only films with super-hit music can work wonders at the box-office.    

What are your expectations for the first weekend’s all-India net collections of Dhurandhar: The Revenge?

– Rs. 350-plus crore in the first 4-day weekend (and including the paid previews)!!!!     

Why are there no major films releasing in the next two weeks?

– Perhaps, to avoid being wiped out by the tsunami called DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE.  

With just six days (or, five days if one considers paid previews scheduled on 18th March) left for the release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, how do you rate its pre-release promotion?

– DHURANDHAR was still running in many cinemas till as late as 19th February i.e. just a month before the scheduled release of DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE. So where’s the need to rate its promotion? The objective of promotion and publicity is to create awareness about, and generate interest in the film. The awareness about and interest in DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE is huge. And by that yardstick, the pre-release promotion of the film would rate as tremendous.    

With O’Romeo not having fared well at the box-office, and The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond not living up to the first part (The Kerala Story), how is the mood in the exhibition trade?

– The mood in the exhibition trade is one of despondency. Exhibitors all over India are waiting with bated breath for better times to come because the month of February turned out to be worrisome for them.     

While some regional language film industries thrive, there are others which struggle. Why?

– A lot depends on how much the state governments do to support the film industry of their region. Fledgling industries need a lot of governmental support. Another factor is that till there isn’t a sizeable audience for films made in a particular language, there’s no regular flow of films being made in that language and hence some regional langauge industries are not even robust.  

What are the chances of Dhurandhar: The Revenge clicking like Dhurandhar?

– Very very bright! Why? Because it is not as if the sequel was shot after the success of the first part. It wasn’t even shot separately. Both the parts were shot as one film. It is only after the entire film of more than seven hours’ duration was shot that Aditya Dhar decided to release the film in two parts as two separate films. The other alternative for him was to edit a seven-hour-plus film and make it of, say, 180 or 200 minutes’ duration, and release it as a single film. Anyway, so what I’m trying to say is that the quality of the two films must be exactly the same. In a manner of speaking, it is like a tailor having stitched a pair of trousers and then judging whether the left side is better or the right side. Obviously, both the sides will be equally good — or bad. Since DHURANDHAR has already proven to be a box-office blockbuster, there is every reason to think that the second part (DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE) will be equally engaging, exciting and entertaining.    

Now that Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups has been postponed, what was the general mood among the exhibition community as far as the two films which were to hit the screens on 19th March, viz. Dhurandhar: The Revenge and Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups, were concerned?

– Almost every exhibitor wanted to release both the films because both look supremely promising. While multiplexes (especially the ones with three or more screens) would’ve been able to accommodate both the eagerly anticipated films, the problem would have arisen in the case of single-screen cinemas and multiplexes with just two screens. They would have had to make a tough choice because distributors of both the films would have tried to get all the shows rather than sharing the shows. As for the multiplexes with three or more screens, there would’ve been a lot of heartburn with regard to the allotment of shows.     

is there any ideal run time for a film? What is it?

– That run time is ideal, which keeps the audience entertained throughout. There cannot be one ideal run time for all the films. For example, the ideal run time for one film could be more than three hours while that for another film could be just two hours!

Is the heat for Dhurandhar: The Revenge building up? With which sequel do you compare the excitement for the Dhurandhar sequel?

– The craze for the sequel of DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE is tremendous, thanks to the unprecedented success of DHURANDHAR. The craze is comparable to that which was there for BAHUBALI: THE CONCLUSION following the then unprecedented success of BAHUBALI.  

Almost the entire trade feels that the clash between Dhurandhar: The Revenge and Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups on 19th March should’ve been avoided. What are your thoughts on the same?

– A clash of two or more big releases is always undesirable. It adversely affects the box-office collections of both, or all, the films which clash. 

Why did The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond not take a good opening in spite of the first part, The Kerala Story, being a blockbuster?

– The promotional materials of THE KERALA STORY 2: GOES BEYOND clearly indicated that the issue tackled in the film was no different from the one dealt with in the first part. In other words, unlike the trailer of the first part, which had tremendous shock value, the trailer of THE KERALA STORY 2: GOES BEYOND lacked shock or novelty value. Hence it was a given that the film would not take a great start, given its lack of face value. Incidentally, THE KERALA STORY had not opened strong. Collections had picked up after the first day due to great word of mouth. The opening of THE KERALA STORY 2: GOES BEYOND also got adversely affected because of the confusion over its release due to the court battle.

When sale of cigarettes and alcohol is permitted, why are scenes, which show cigarette smoking and consumption of alcohol in films, required to be accompanied by disclaimers?

– It’s because films are considered to be very potent influencing platforms. The intention behind the disclaimers that cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption are injurious to health is to warn people about the ill-effects of smoking and drinking so that they think ten times before emulating those smoking and drinking on screen.  

Prior to the film’s release, were the makers of Dhurandhar aware that their film would become such a huge blockbuster or even reach anywhere close to the blockbuster status?

– Director Aditya Dhar was aware that he was making a super-blockbuster. Artistes, who’ve worked in the film, recall Dhar often saying during shooting schedules that the film was turning out to be one that would write box-office history — of course, in a manner of expressing supreme confidence in the project rather than boasting.

What is the budget of Yash-starrer Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups?

– Reportedly, over Rs. 600 crore!

After the runaway success of Dhurandhar, what could the opening day’s collection figure for Dhurandhar: The Revenge be?

– It could be Rs. 65 crore. It could be Rs. 70 crore or Rs. 75 crore! This, in spite of TOXIC: A FAIRY TALE FOR GROWN-UPS releasing the same day in Hindi too!! 

Why hasn’t O’Romeo taken a good start today?

– Yes, I agree, the opening today (Fenruary 13) should’ve been much better. I’m as clueless as you about why it hasn’t opened better.

Why is no big film scheduled for release on 13th March? There are not too many releases on 6th March and 27th February either. Any specific reason?

– The only reason why no big film will hit the screens on 13th March could be because DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE and TOXIC: A FAIRY TALE FOR GROWN-UPS would be releasing after six days — on 19th March — and hence almost all the shows in every single-screen cinema and every multiplex would be allotted to the two Eid releases.

There are murmurs in trade circles that the release of Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups may be postponed. Is it true?

– Not at all true. TOXIC: A FAIRY TALE FOR GROWN-UPS will release on 19th March alongside DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE. 

How will multiplexes apportion screens and shows between Dhurandhar: The Revenge and Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups (Hindi dubbed) on March 19? And what about single-screen cinemas?

– It’s going to be a very tough fight between the two films. DHURANDHAR: THE REVENGE will be coveted because the first part — DHURANDHAR — has turned out to be the biggest blockbuster ever and hence every exhibitor would want to screen the sequel in the maximum number of shows. However, TOXIC (Hindi dubbed) is being distributed by Anil Thadani all over India and hence multiplexes and single-screen cinemas can’t afford to displease him as he always has an impressive line-up of films.

Which will be Rasha Thadani’s second film?

– Rasha’s second film to hit the screens will be LAIKEY LAIKAA. The actress has lent her voice to a song in the film. And her rendition as well as the music for the song is very good.